Metal’s pantheon is inexplicably vast. The entities that reside in the depths of the abyss outstrip the heavenly host in variety, if not in devotees. Finnish depressive black metal abusers Benighted In Sodom is indeed one of the most consistently exciting and forward-thinking acts in the depressive black metal landscape. Numerous bands have created concept albums based around their own ideas that take insight from creative writing, but few bands will dedicate the entire span of an album to an existing piece. Benighted In Sodom has attempted an unwieldy mission to set the dark sounds of their past to the typically kaleidoscopic expanses of depressive black metal for better and worse, audacity is an essential aspect. It has always demonstrated its malleability throughout its existence, being infused with elements ranging from alternative rock to Avant-Garde. Benighted In Sodom delivers both the groaning textures and deserved, overpowering climaxes. When they repeatedly cycle through riffs and valleys, that audacity starts to become an onus, turning what should be an adventure into a rote marathon through the vortex of sound and changes less than the music’s overall embrace and intensity.
Finnish Negative Existentialism, Suicide, Occult Themes based depressive black metallers Benighted in Sodom will unveil their upcoming full-length opus entitled “Carrier of Poison Apples” on December 13th, 2019 via I, Voidhanger Records label with 58:32 min running time. This new album consists of 10 tracks. Benighted in Sodom was formed in 2004. Benighted in Sodom this one prolific act is helmed by the ever-provocative my long-time friend Matron Thorn (Ævangelist, Præternatura, Ragnarökkur, Obscuring Veil) brings this to another level entirely right and then you dive into the ever-expanding abyss of pure black that has carved from the very souls of the damned whose howls wreath this album gloriously. Matron's in this particular sonic vision, things won’t end with a whimper. As the label accurately describes, this is the sound of reality crumbling, revealing a nauseating yet fascinating abstract dimension of sin, deprivation, and oblivion. The eerie, sweltering melodies that creep in the background as the slow, stomping, patterned drums and morose guitars rumble through the air like an avalanche of audio lava and brimstone, and Monstrous, vocals of the strangest combination, ranging from animalistic growls to snarling shrieks, to yells, that give me strong Lifelover and Silencer vibes along with horrible rhythms grate nerve endings. That’s the difference and that’s what separates Matron Thorn from the rest of the younger garb who are trying to innovate and keep things fresh. Benighted In Sodom invoke scenes of graveyards and ancient monuments built to honor long-dead Gods and subtle layering of harmonious and disharmonious aspects that allow the listener to choose how they want to enjoy the claustrophobic closeness of being swamped in sadness. Now I am straight diving to the point about this new album.
When at first checked out their manifestation I was overwhelmed and the track sounds so authentic, mature from then I was clinched that I have to check this whole material for sure and this would be unblemished. Benighted in Sodom delivers distinctly experimental, atmospherically evil, a vivid, horrifying, sadistic, depressive, negative, suicidal form of black metal. Spitting the occult substance out from the top where it splatters into perverse monochrome psychedelia splayed across the landscape. The wonderful skill the band possesses that ability hits its apex here. This band's brainchild musician Matron did a fantastic job on this album in a radiant way and It’s really great when your high hopes are not misplaced. This whole album reflects the grand diversity of sound brought together on this album. It is really not easy to describe their musical style. A natural synthesis of dissonant sounds and disparate styles all combined in one bold, enlightened display of unbound creativity Despite the often crushing, cacophonous black metal assaults with a lot of segments of slower tempo too where Benighted in Sodom combines with cavernous drum thrashes, melodic, morose guitars and those effective rasps. "Carrier of Poison Apples" combines the angular and rabid technicality with the experimental tinges of their previous offering. Their soundscape initially forceful and ultimately complex riffs, extremely raucous and abrasive sound, constant aural disharmony and this new album redirects the image of black metal through a dervish funhouse.
Well, their upcoming opus opening track is “Last Stop on My Way to Hell”. This track starts with eerie, creepy sound with some slow vocals. Quickly the song returns to the sonic assailment and the musical style transformed into a heavier musical direction of guitar noise laced with deliberate cadence and progression seasonings. Their whole composition and musical style are impeccable also borrow great atmosphere with sour, dissonant riffs work. They emerge undaunted, with black metal sustain, an infinite beat providing a platform for sheets of noise and the perpetual rise of the sadistic riff. This album boasts some of the most dizzying, Avant-garde tinged black metal and every single song is meticulously crafted and shows an incredible sense of tension, flow, and technical acumen. This is frighteningly hallucinatory with floods in my mind with psychoactive substances and the veins with poison.
Matron Thorn, who has created some incredibly dim and depressing black metal along with pretty uneventful depressive music and Matron masks this in layers upon layers of a haze of distorted noise. Upcoming new album whole compositions are extremely filthy and unsettling pieces of sinister, grim euphoria and unearthly ambiance. “Carrier of Poison Apples” is an incredibly rewarding album and the musical content remains highly underwhelming. Their distinct entity infused me by a lot. Their musical style has some quite soft and smooth edge in the guitar playing along with clean vox which adds to the more atmospheric, morose, melancholic, unique kind of black metal but at the same time, the vocals and other parts of the riffing are straight forward ferocious simultaneously. Honestly saying after a multiple listen this album just blew me away with their ethereal abyss, melancholic, the multi-layered, ominous musical style. Matron Thorn has exuded tremendous effort on this album with excellent diligence and nailed it. Benighted in Sodom really does the trick for the atmosphere is the overall murky and misty sound that comes from the music. I highly cite and embrace this album.
This album is filled with a slew of cadence, apocalyptic, ominous, powerful riffs work including the way in which they are portrayed and the effects used on the riffs, are precisely drawn out and rather slow, forcing it’s listening audience to feel the pain with each and every stroke of the strings. As well bass line up is whopping, intense, strong, rumbling, slithering. The guitars are solely focused on creating a grandiose atmosphere but predominantly rely on walls of sound and swerving rhythms. In each track morbidly delicious, macabre, soaring, dark eerie riffs, bass lineups matched in a good manner. This whole albums sound deliver a dissonant, grim feeling, sinister, melancholic, gruesome black metal with raw emotion and pure energy with lots of noisy arpeggios during the slow dirge moments, while the riffs picked with a little more speed contain some very catchy morose melodies. “Carrier of Poison Apples” endures the beauty of black metal.
This album indulges strong songwriting and brilliant musicianship. Lyrically, there are interesting, provoking and intellectually stimulating and still be interesting to explore. This inhuman ability, however, is inconsequential, as the music needs such a delivery. This album has a hypnotic effect on the listener. Vocals decently large voice and clean vocals as well do well for Benighted in Sodom. Vocals howling voice,immense,deep rasps ,serene chanting,watery echo effect voice emerged on this album in a well manner adds a thick murky sound and intertwined perfectly with their utterly spellbinding,obtuse,bizarrely arrogant, mysterious,fully blistering black metal,distant musical style with a lots of depressive accompaniment and embedded perfectly . His expressive voice Perfectly positioned beside the tremolo distortion presented by the sweeping guitars, determines the emotive nature of the atmospherically driven record. His vocal expressions land droplets of melancholy and sorrow over the audience like rain. Overall you will get sinister, gloomy, desolate, mysterious ambient from this whole album with hallucinogenic with a healthy dose of paranoia. I really worship this band and highly embrace Benighted in Sodom‘s heinous deliverance.
Each song has energy, fluency and draws a flawless landscape. Stand out tracks are all of them. I personally Cherish each and every single track. The vision of the album cover is Pretty neat, solid, atrocious, grisly, gorgeously hideous. Overall “Carrier of Poison Apples” whole album is Spectacular, engrossing, significant and goes all the way through with a relentless rage from the beginning. The sound has a depth to it, with brief distortion. This album sounds so authentic and a truly remarkable sonic journey from beginning to end. Indeed this album is such an true gem of this year. The production is absolutely impeccable, capable of handling both the massive atmospheric and gargantuan heft. Indeed would be outstanding another one release of this year so far. The upcoming full-length will clearly show whether this act has enough in the tank to strive on to better things, or eventually dissipate into mediocrity. The Finnish bruisers still possess all the necessary skills and hard-won experience to put younger, newcomer challengers in their place. This black metal hybrid has built up steam, showing their ultimate culmination thus far. This is as intended, music meant for submission. Frightful atmospheres bring down the curtain on another exhausting, shattering listening experience that maintains Benighted in Sodom 's status as chief purveyors of psychotic yet creative carnage. Their thick back material which maintains the claustrophobic, nightmarish ethos seems like a good place to spend time while I wait for new music. If you looking for something different, epic this album will take you on a journey into another universe. If you choose to embark on this menacing journey then good luck and don’t get lost in the dark.
My Rating – 4.9/5 Review done by Souvik Basu. Published on 23/10/2019
